


Shattered Reflections

by JonathanAnubian



Series: Shattered [2]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternative Universe - Underfell, Dom Papyrus, Ectobiology, Fontcest, Ghost Appendages, M/M, Psychological Torture, Rape, Torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-26
Updated: 2019-10-04
Packaged: 2020-09-27 03:54:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,399
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20401246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JonathanAnubian/pseuds/JonathanAnubian
Summary: If you were a fan of Broken Reflections get ready for a complete overhaul. I'm re-writing the entire work as well as adding the Genocide Ending!Sans nightmares are always the same. At least... they used to be. So when he finds himself standing in front of a strange mirror he is baffled by the odd reflection staring back at him. Waking up he isn't surprised to see Papyrus in his room, standing over him with hands on hips. What does surprise him is the drastic change his brother has gone through over night.Sans has many questions. Who is this evil imposter glaring down at him, why does his room look so wrong, and why doesn't his magic work?





	1. Nightmare

The nightmares always started the same way. A flashback to a bad Reset. The human annihilating them all without an ounce of mercy. It always went one of two ways. Either his brother fell first in battle and he had to experience the loss and grief, facing the terror of being alone again. Or he was killed by the human and imagined how livid his brother was at his utter uselessness. But there was something different about this one… There was the human, about to mercilessly cut him down once again, that manic grin etched into his mind for all eternity, when the world beneath his feet shattered. Becoming a gaping maw suddenly swallowed him whole. If this hadn’t been a dream he would have been in more of a panic, scrambling to try and grab onto anything so he wouldn’t fall. The darkness enveloping him felt oddly warm. Not something he experienced often being a skeleton that lived in an icy village.

Slowly something in front of him began to appear, coming closer and closer. Growling he reached for his powers to protect himself, just in case, but they were out of his reach. Whatever it was sped closer and he began to sweat as panic filled him. Trembling in fear he tried to slow his descent but there was nothing to grasp onto. As the object became clearer he realized with some relief that it was just a mirror. Slowing to a stop he floated in front of the mirror and stared at his reflection. Of course he was going to look like a miserable wreck like alwa- he blinked. Something was wrong with his reflection.

The first thing he noticed was the lack of gold tooth that Papyrus had given him in an attempt to make him look more menacing. Glancing down he frowned at the worn out blue hoodie. He’d never be caught dead in something that ratty. He’d be a laughingstock. Looking down at himself he saw the same black jacket he always wore. Shaking his head to clear it he looked back at the reflection in confusion. That’s when he noticed what was on the reflection’s feet. Slippers? Like hell he’d ever wear fuzzy, bitch-ass, slippers. Whatever this was it was pretty fucked up. Yet he couldn’t deny that he felt a sort of echo between him and the reflection. Something that tugged at his very core.

Tentatively he reached out toward the mirror. The reflection copied his movement… but with the wrong hand. Startled he didn’t think to stop himself as his fingers brushed the smooth surface of the mirror just as the reflection did. Grimacing he was confused at the giddy curiosity on the reflection’s face.

Behind his eyes a pressure seemed to be building. Not painful, just heavy. Something about this wasn’t right and his instincts were screaming at him to get out of there. He tried to pull his hand back and panic seized him when he realized he couldn’t. His entire body was frozen in place, anticipating whatever was coming. It was like someone taking a deep breath right before a plunge. For one moment everything seemed to be suspended in space. Even time seemed to stop. Then everything exploded forward and he was flung straight into the mirror.

Waking with a start he screamed, reaching into the air as if to grab hold of something. To grab what, he didn’t know. His breathing was a gargled wheeze that came in short gasps as his chest rose and fell. It felt like his soul was on fire and a coughing fit caught him off guard. Covering his mouth with his hand he rolled over and closed his eyes tight. With his back to the door he silently panicked in the safety of his own mind. _‘Shit, shit, fuck! He had to have heard that. Fuck! He’s going to come up the stairs any minute. I’m screwed, totally screwed.’_ Trembling as he heard the heavy footsteps on the stairs outside his room he curled into a tighter ball and tried to take even breaths.

In his panic he wasn’t in the right frame of mind to listen to the footsteps and analyze them carefully. Instead he clenched his teeth and tried to ready himself for the punishment that was bound to come.

“Sans? Sans! You lazybone! What are you shouting so suddenly for?” Bursting into the room the taller skeleton stomped over to his brother, who was shaking like a leaf on his bed. At first Sans thought he was going to be hauled up off the bed and dropped onto the floor like usual. Maybe kicked for good measure to make sure he was well and truly awake. Instead his brother sat down on the bed next to him, making him jump in fright.

“Sans? What’s wrong? You’re shaking, are you alright? Did you have another nightmare?” Rather than the booming and harsh voice he was used to what reached his ears was a kind voice filled with worry. Surprised he opened his eyes. A hand lightly touched his arm and he flinched away. “Wh-wha?” Turning to look up at his brother he felt a new kind of fear shoot up his spine when he realized the skeleton sitting on the bed was not his brother. It looked like him. But it wasn’t him. Everything from his clothes to his demeanor were wrong. Even his magical aura was different.

“Sans,” he sighed. “I can’t help you if you won’t tell me what is wrong. The Great Papyrus must know if he is to make everything better!” There was only one thought running through his mind.

_'Who the fuck is this guy?'_

***

Falling into his bed Sans closed his eyes and sighed in relief. It had been a stressful day plagued by panic attacks and sudden flashbacks. It had effected him so much that he’d snapped, actually snapped, at Papyrus. The look of hurt surprise on his face was enough to make Sans feel lower than dirt. It was hard to be lower than the dirt of the Underground but he’d managed it. Remembering all the times he’d lost Papyrus to a bad Reset, the human going on another murderous rampage, he clenched his fists. He’d lost Papyrus so many times and here he was treating him like crap. Guilt and grief warred inside him and his magic began to flare. Taking a couple of deep, shuddering, breaths he pushed the feelings down again. Some days the emotions refused to be bottled up and seeped out, making it hard for him to function. It felt like he was walking through molasses and he was so, so, tired. A recent lack of sleep and good food were taking their toll on him. Papyrus hounded him to treat himself with more care but he tended to forget things like food when he fell into a downward spiral.

The deep aching in his bones reminded him that he was alive and the sound of his brother fussing around in the kitchen reminded him that he was still safe. He hadn’t failed again… at least not yet. But it was just a matter of time.

Sans didn’t know how long he lay there, focusing on nothing but his breathing and the feeling of his ribs rising and falling. Eventually he opened his eyes to that same old hall and knew this was either another dream or a flashback. Although everything had a tendency to blend together at the edges he could always tell the difference between reality and a dream. It was probably due to all the Shortcuts he took. Anomalies in the fabric of the varied timelines were something he was familiar with and understood well.

Standing there, as they always did, was the tiny human. This time they held a knife in their dusty hands and his heart sank. They were just a kid. No older than ten or twelve. What could have happened to them in such a short time to turn them into a psychotic killer? “If you come any closer than that, kid; you’re gonna have a bad time.” Slipping a hand out of his hoodie pocket as his eye began to glow a fierce blue he felt a sudden pressure building in the air around them. It felt nothing like any anomaly he was familiar with. Whipping his skull around he searched for the source of the phenomenon but saw nothing. Beneath his feet the ground cratered before crumbling into a vast nothingness. With nothing holding him up he hurtled downward into the depths.

This was the first time this had ever happened to him while dreaming. Rather than being frightened he was filled with an odd sense of intrigue. Flying through the empty space toward an unknown destination he felt a vague familiarity. It was like this place pulsed with the same energy as his Shortcuts. Yet at the same time it felt like an entirely different beast altogether. All around him it felt as if everything was compressed, as if time and space itself were holding their breath.

Noticing a shape coming toward him he focused on it carefully, trying to make sense of what he was seeing. Curious he stared at the image as it became clearer. Recognizing his own reflection he sighed. Sans was both relieved that it was not some terrible flashback that would haunt him and disappointed that it wasn’t something more exciting. Although… there certainly was something off about the skeleton that stared back at him.

The cranial structure was his, he was certain, but the teeth were all wrong. Sharpened into points and one replaced with gold. What happened there? Instead of his comfortable hoodie and white turtleneck he was greeted with a red t-shirt and a black winter coat. The shorts were like his own, only with different colors. On his feet he wore worn out sneakers that looked as if they’d seen better days. Weird. Why would he ever dress like an edgy teenager?

His reflection grimaced at him in confusion and he peered at it curiously. Reaching for his power he tried to tap into it, to see what his magic would look like in the mirror, but felt something tug it back. Really he should have been panicking about being defenseless yet he didn’t sense any danger. For once he felt lighter than usual. He would blame the weightless feeling for his sudden urge to indulge his curiosity. Lifting his arm he placed it against the mirror as his reflection did the same, but with the opposite arm. Their fingers touched the glossy surface in the same instance and everything rushed toward him, like a wave crashing down.

Waking in a cold sweat on his bed, his body feeling as if it was filled with ice water, he curled in on himself as his cry of pain faded and died. Gasping he took quick, shallow, breaths as his body shook uncontrollably. Deep inside his chest his soul felt like it was being squeezed and he couldn’t help but cough as he tried to escape the suffocating feeling. Though skeletons didn’t technically need to breathe the movement of his chest eased the pain somewhat. 

Hearing heavy footsteps coming up the stairs he groaned and shut his eyes, expression conflicted and anxious. Papyrus was home at the moment. Which meant he’d heard the cry of pain and would be coming up to ask a million and one questions about his health before trying to stuff him with pasta. All before complaining that he wasn’t taking care of himself or explaining what was wrong so Papyrus could help him fix it.

_‘Aw hell. What am I going to say to him? I can’t keep lying forever… No. I have to. I have to be strong. I can’t burden him with this.’_ Turning away from the door so he wouldn’t have to look his brother in the face as he lied again he listened as the footsteps stopped in front of his door. He’d expected Papyrus to barge inside, fussing as he did so. What he had not expected was the door to literally slam inwards and bang off the wall from the force, the hinges creaking terribly as they barely kept their hold. Startled he reached for his power to defend himself, his eye glowing blue for a split second before his entire body seized up. A jolt of sharp pain, like electricity, crackled through his body and he was unable to move. A silent scream left his mouth but the intruder didn’t seem to notice.

“I knew you were up here, you lazy sod! Sleeping when you should be working on your puzzles. Just like the useless piece of trash you are.” A gloved hand gripped his arm painfully, yanking him onto his back. Blinking he stared up at a skeleton that looked like his brother. If his brother decided to dress like a villain from an old hammer horror film. The burning stare unnerved him and he squirmed, wincing at the pain. “P-Pap? C’mon, that look has me chilled to the bone.” A snort of disgust reached him as the black and red clad skeleton reached his other hand down and grabbed Sans' neck bones, holding him down roughly. The sudden power streaming through the other skeleton pooled around his neck, making it hard to focus. It was heavy and suffocating. He felt like he might pass out at any moment as he was pressed further into the bed.

“Disgusting! Since when have I ever given you permission to use such an atrocious moniker? And… was that a fucking pun?” For a moment Sans’ eyes became tiny pinpricks inside the sockets. His mind shut down, unable to handle the situation he was now faced with. Papyrus, cursing? Actively hurting someone? Hurting _him_? That was so far out of the realm of reality that nothing felt real. Only the pain kept him grounded. It made him realize that this was reality and not a dream.

Sans snapped back from his mental vacation when Papyrus shook him and gave him a long, searching, look. “Hmm… Usually by now you would be shaking with fear and throwing out excuses, the weak coward that you are…” Whoever he was he was sharper and more observant than Papyrus. That was going to complicate things.

“Ehh… I don’t think I’m in Snowdin anymore.” He replied with faux levity. Anger flared in the violent skeleton’s eyes as he bodily lifted Sans from the bed and brought him closer. Their skulls were almost touching as purple energy flared in his eye. Creepy.

“Whoever you are you most certainly are not my sniveling weakling of a brother.” Dropping him to the floor he snarled, summoning a bone spear as Sans got to his feet and dusted himself off. Glancing around the room for a quick escape he found no way out. The place was spotless, clean to the point it was uninviting, and there were bars on the window. The taller skeleton was blocking the only path out. _'It’s more like a prison than a bedroom.'_

“Welp, it was nice meetin ya, but I’ve got somewhere to be.” Pulling on his power his body flickered before that deep chill settled into his bones again. All at once there was a snapping sensation in the world around him and the pressure rebounded into his body. Agony ripped through him, the magical backlash sending him to the floor in a graceless heap. That had never happened before. “Pathetic. You are obviously just as weak as my brother.” Leaning down the fake Papyrus looked him up and down in a way that made him shiver with fear. Crossing his arms he stood back up and grinned down at him. “I think I’ll keep you.” The barely contained malice in his voice and the way his eyes lingered in his body had Sans shaking his head in horror.

_'What the hell is going on? Where am I?'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to apologize to everyone who was waiting for this for so long. My mental health took a very dark turn for a time and writing this was painful for me at the time. But things have gotten much better. I have medication now to manage my depression and I'm seeing a wonderful therapist to help me with the rest.
> 
> Thank you guys for always commenting on my work and all the interest you show in it. Some days that's what kept me going.


	2. Warped Reflection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Orange is stuck wondering what happened to his brother.  
Red trembles in fear.  
Purple is enraged.  
And Blue experiences the opening acts of cruelty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully this has a better flow and is a little more clear on the details. Let me know what you guys think.

(Orange)

“Sans! What’s wrong?” Chasing his brother into the hall he gripped the railing and swung himself in front of the smaller skeleton, stopping him before he got even part way down the stairs. For a moment he thought Sans might try to jump down to the first floor, he looked so desperate. Alarmed he reached out to stop his brother, only to have him pull away violently. The smaller skeleton trembled in fear, his eyes darting this way and that as if looking for some way to escape. “D-don’t touch me you… you… Freak!” Out of nowhere his body seemed to fade, becoming transparent. The image of his brother flickered before he suddenly fell to his knees, hands going to his skull as he screamed in pain. “Sans!” Dropping to his own knees he pulled his brother into his arms and watched the twin lights in his sockets vanish.

Papyrus sat there cradling the smaller skeleton to his chest, unsure of what to do. Sans had terrible nightmares, he knew. But something like this had never happened before. Had he been sleep walking? He seemed too lucid for it to be that and Sans had never slept walked before. If only his brother would tell him the truth about his physical and mental state maybe he could help him. Instead it was an endless struggle just to get him to eat some days. Not to mention his nonchalant attitude that aggravated him to no end.

Standing up he held his brother close and tried to calm his own frazzled nerves. Sans was the one who always dealt with trouble. He was the calm one, the one with all the answers. No matter what other monsters might think Papyrus knew his brother was a genius, terrible puns notwithstanding. Anything that could make Sans run around in a panic had to be bad. There was a sinking feeling in his core at the mere thought. “I… what do I do?”

Looking down at the limp form in his arms his expression hardened and his eye ridges came together in a determined frown. Rushing out of the house he ran as quickly as he could, ignoring anyone who tried to call out to him and ask what was going on. It would take him a while to get there but he knew only one person who might be able to help him. Undyne was a Royal Guard, she must know some way to help his brother!

(Blue)

Slowly waking up Sans tried to blink away the haze that clouded his vision. Something felt wrong. What happened? When had he passed out? Why?

As the cogs in his mind began to turn he started remembering what had happened before. For a moment he felt relief. What happened previously had to be some kind of strange dream. The constant stress and jumbled timelines creating a bogeyman, turning Papyrus against him as a new form of self torture. There was no way it had been real…

As his sense of feeling began to return he realized he couldn’t move his arms and frowned. Groggily he looked up to see his wrists tied together with a length of rope. The rope was taut, a complex knot held it fast to the ceiling and no matter how he pulled it didn’t budge an inch. A cold chill ran down his spine and he glanced down. Gone were his fuzzy slippers and comfy shorts. Even his favourite turtleneck had been taken from him. All that remained was his blue hoodie. Realizing how bad a situation he was now finding himself in his head whipped around, eyes darting to every corner of the room he could see. His knees and wrists ached, which told him he’d been there for a while. He was alone, in a dark room, tied to the ceiling and almost entirely naked. One of those things would have been enough to cause him alarm. All of them told him he was in deep trouble.

Straightening up took the pressure off his wrists, though now he could feel his kneecaps grating against the cold stone floor. Wrapping the ropes around his hands he used what little strength he had to pull himself up. Once he was able to get his feet beneath him he slowly stood, wobbling slightly from dizziness. The earlier attempt at teleporting had weakened him, though he had no idea why. Fiddling with the rope he tried to undo the knots but to no avail. _‘Shit. What is this even made out of?’_

Sensing another presence he froze before realizing it was too late. The fact that he was on his feet made it obvious he was awake. Looking toward the set of stone steps he turned to see the evil clone of Papyrus standing there, watching him. Leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, one foot pressed back against the stone wall. A sinister aura gathered around him and Sans could tell he was grinning in amusement. A shudder of dread passed through him. “Hey, could you leave me alone right now? I’m a little tied up at the moment.”

_‘Good job, Sans,’_ he chided himself. _‘The guy has you trapped in his basement and the first thing you do is mouth off.’_ A perfect strategy right there.

Letting out a snort of amusement Papyrus let his arms and leg drop, pushing himself away from the wall in one smooth motion. “Hmph, that one was actually mildly amusing.” Stalking across the room toward him with the grace of a predator his baleful stare never left Sans. _'This guy is bad news.'_

The more he saw of this guy the more he knew; this was not his brother. They looked similar at first, almost uncannily similar, but they were just too different. Clothing style, speech pattern, movement, all of it was just wrong.

“But as you can see, I am in no mood for games.” Stopping in front of him he glared down at the smaller skeleton, making Sans twitch involuntarily. His hands clenching around the rope as if he could use it as a weapon. Lacking the ability to teleport left him in a real bind. There was no way out except up the stairs. With tall, dark, and vicious standing in his way he’d have to fight if he wanted to escape. Dodging was out of the question, at least until he could free his hands. Which left him with one option. He would have to get serious.

A gloved hand reached down and gripped his chin hard. Concentrating on his magic he felt pain blooming behind his eyes, the pressure building with the amount of magic he gathered. No stranger to pain he forced his way through it without allowing his concentration to waver. As blue flame erupted from his eye socket the taller skeleton watched him, looking intrigued rather than defensive. Well, he’d just have to give him something to get defensive about.

Gritting his teeth hard enough you could hear them creak he summoned one of the Gaster Blasters into being and aimed it at the fiend holding him captive. “Hey buddy, want to have a bad time?” He ground out between clenched teeth.

The villainous skeleton looked even more interested now. However his amused grin was now replaced with a thoughtful frown. “Intriguing. You have more guts and power than Sans, but you lack his cunning.” Letting go of his chin the other skeleton took a step back. At first Sans thought his threat had worked and the other skeleton was backing off. The sudden kick to his rib cage was wholly unexpected and with a strangled cry of pain his concentration shattered. Falling, the rope yanked his arms up and his knees clattered against the ground. His legs ached sharply while his wrists and shoulder joints felt like they were on fire. Hissing he looked up in time to see the gloved hand coming right for him. The blow hit him hard enough to knock his skull back. Lights danced across his vision and he groaned.

“Enough. I see that you are hardly equipped to live in this world.” A dark chuckle left him as Sans lifted his head to look up at him once more. “Have no fear, the Grand Master Papyrus shall teach you your place.” Unclipping something from his belt he held up a thick collar with little metal spikes embedded into it. For a moment all Sans could do was stare at it in confusion. His pain addled mind unable to make the connection between the words and the object. Right up until his darkly clad captor clasped it around his neck.

_‘Oh shit, he meant it didn’t he? He’s going to keep me here like some kind of pet! What the fuck?’_ His body trembled, both from the residual pain and from a sudden feeling of humiliation. The pain was too real for this to be some fucked up dream he’d concocted for himself. But he desperately hoped he was wrong.

Kneeling in front of him the fake Papyrus caressed his cheek tenderly, as if he hadn’t just kicked him to the floor and socked him in the skull. For a moment he seemed content to just stare at Sans, admiring the collar and the bruise that was blooming on his rib bones. Realizing that he was only in his hoodie, and that it wasn’t even zipped closed, Sans felt a rush of heat across his cheek bones. Looking quite smug the other skeleton finally pulled away.

“Hmm. Sans calls me Boss, the perfect address from an underling of mine. But you are not my brother, however similar you appear.” Distracted by thought the taller skeleton’s focus shifted away from him. _‘This is my chance!’_ Earlier the pain from his attempt at teleporting had been crippling. But it felt like his magic was beginning to adapt to the world around him. He’d been able to handle the Gaster Blaster and his teleportation didn’t take half as much concentration.

“I know! You shall have the pleasure of referring to me as Master. Yes… I quite like the sound of that.” He continued to speak aloud, one gloved hand on his hip. The villain turned a lascivious leer on him, drinking in his exposed bones. Sans had to look away. “Master of what? Edginess?” Now he couldn’t even come up with a good pun, dammit. Why did he have to go opening his big mouth anyway? The guy had no qualms about hurting him.

The result was about what he’d expected from a psycho like this guy. A surge of malicious purple magic surrounded them as his captor’s anger spiked. Inside his chest his soul withered and tried to retreat from the waves of energy coming off Papyrus like burning flames. He shivered in revulsion and tried to move away.

“Tsk. It looks like I’ll have to train you from the very beginning. Even my pathetic brother knows his place, worthless as he is.” Though he spoke with derision there was a hint of worry and fear mixed into the malicious feelings pouring out of him. “I will leave you here for now. Contemplate how you should act in the presence of your Master when I next return.” Another dark chuckle left him as he turned on his heel and strode confidently over to the stairs. Hearing a door slam shut and the turning of a lock Sans’ body sagged as the tension left his body.

Even if there was a way to escape the ropes there was no guarantee he could bust open the door at this point. Not with his body in such terrible shape and his magic so weak. All he could do now was try to play to his captor’s ego, gain his trust, and escape when his back was turned.

As he hung there, ribs twinging in pain and heart shivering in his rib cage he felt a deep depression wash over him.

_‘What did I do to deserve this?’_

(Orange)

Finally reaching the home of his mentor Papyrus banged on her door as loudly as possible, yelling her name. Kicking open the door she snapped at him. “What!?” But the moment her eyes fell on Sans in his arms all her anger drained from her face as she paled in horror. Stepping outside she listened to him as he babbled before she silenced him. “We need to get to Alphys’ lab.” Even though they had to pass through Hotland to get there Undyne refused to leave him alone in his panicked state.

Sitting in silence, gloved hands clenched above his knees in worry, he watched the shy scientist run important looking tests on Sans. Alphys finished quickly and started walking toward them. Jumping up he loomed over the smaller monster. “How is he? Is my brother okay?” Looking shaken the yellow monster smiled in what he thought might be an attempt to reassure him, but it didn’t. Her nervousness was contagious and he was already anxious to begin with.

“W-well he’s not sick, I c-can t-tell you that much. But his s-soul is b-b-becoming unstable. That sh-shouldn’t even be p-possible. It’s almost l-like the ambient energy in the air is t-trying to reject him.” Papyrus frowned. “Th-that’s never happened before, t-to anyone! So I-I uh… I d-don’t know what to do. I c-can’t… help him.” Tears sprang to her eyes as she shrank in on herself in misery. Papyrus glared at the floor in thought, his hands fisted at his side.

A long, drawn out, silence followed this revelation, with the only sound coming from Alphys, who had come down with a case of the hiccups. The short scientist looked defeated, but Papyrus refused to believe there was nothing they could do. Filled with a feeling that he couldn only describe as unyielding hope he walked past Alphys and over to the unconscious Sans. Reaching down he slid his hands between Sans and the metal table, gently pulling him into his arms again. “Wh-what are you doing?” Even unconscious his brother looked to be in pain. The movement of his chest was ragged, as if he was being suffocated.

Letting the world around him fall away he focused solely on his soul and controlling the flow of magic around him. Orange magic surged, growing brighter as it coalesced around him; becoming a visible aura of power. Somewhere behind him Alphys gasped and Undyne cursed. Carefully he began pushing his magical energy into his brother, forcing their soul wavelengths to beat in time. This sort of energy transfer could go one of two ways. Either Sans soul would accept the energy and convert it into his own life force, which would make them tired but fine. Or the energy would be rejected, causing them both heavy damage when the magical backlash hit. It was a difficult ability to master and very few had ever used it, for fear of the consequences. But it was a risk Papyrus was willing to take. He would do anything to protect his brother, as he knew Sans would do for him.

Sans trembled in his arms as his magic sluggishly responded. His brother tried to hide, closing himself off, but he could see the soul glowing a dark red in response to his meddling. Wait, red? Surprised he forced a little too much magic forward at once and the connection snapped into place. Magic poured into the smaller skeleton. Much like a defibrillator it zapped Sans soul, waking him instantly. Gasping he looked up into Papyrus face and pulled back in fear. Emotions and memories were shared between them as their magic co-mingled. Even if it was only for a moment Papyrus had a look into his brother’s daily life.

Everything he saw was wrong.

The image of himself lashing out in anger at his brother almost startled him into dropping the smaller skeleton. Sans didn’t seem to be faring any better. His body shook as tears streamed down his face. The outpouring of love and affection from Papyrus was every bit as shocking to him. Echoing through Sans was a deep seated fear of violence and retribution. Punishment and death. Even now he was afraid that Papyrus would hurt him because he was not actually his brother. Carefully, so as not to scare him further, Papyrus pulled him into a proper hug. Sans froze for a moment before he started to struggle. “N-no! Wh-what are you d-doing? S-stop it! D-d-don’t give me hope I’d… already… given up… on… hope.”

Papyrus practically drowned him in affection as the effects of the energy transfer slowly ebbed away. His mumbled curses were ignored as he turned to Undyne and Alphys, allowing Sans to cling to him like a frightened child. Smiling sadly at them he wobbled slightly, the loss of magical energy making him tired. “This is Sans, but he is not my brother.” They shared a confused look before Papyrus continued. “However! I think he should stay with me.” Clinging to his scarf Sans hid his face, trying his damnedest to ensure no one saw him crying. Papyrus stroked his skull gently to soothe him but it only made him cry harder.

“It will be alright, Sans. Let’s go home.”


	3. Soul Echoes

(Orange)

The trek home had been hard for the both of them. The Sans that was not his brother continued to cry, clinging to him as is he were a life raft in the midst of a raging storm. Papyrus’ soul clenched. Seeing someone who looked like his brother sobbing uncontrollably made tears come to his own sockets, even as his hands clenched in anger. It took every ounce of strength he had to get them all the way back to Snowdin without having his own panic attack.

Entering their house he quickly hustled the smaller skeleton out of his jacket and sneakers before settling him onto the couch with a warm blanket. Papyrus’ would be the last one to admit he was a mother hen who fussed over other monsters but deep down he knew it was the truth. He never wanted to see anyone hurt or sad. It just wasn’t in his nature. Smiling at Sans he got up from the couch and turned toward the kitchen. “I’ll b-” He didn’t even get a chance to explain his intentions before a hand reached out and grabbed his wrist, stopping him in his tracks. Sans removed his hand, trembling slightly. “P-please br-boss, s-stay with me? J-just for a little bit…” The hesitation in his voice when forcing himself not to call Papyrus brother made his heart sink. Something in his look must have startled the smaller skeleton as he curled in on himself. “N-neverm-mind, I kn-know I’m p-p-pathetic. J-just f-f-forget it.” An aching in Papyrus’ soul had him turning and slowly settling next to Sans on the couch. Making sure Sans could see what he was doing he reached over and gently tugged the smaller skeleton so his head was resting in Papyrus’ lap.

“Please, call me brother. Even Paps or Papy is okay; Sans is so lazy he always shortens my name anyway.” Tentatively he stroked the smaller skeleton’s head in a gesture he hoped was soothing. The first time his hand touched Sans he flinched, as if expecting pain. But as Papyrus did nothing but stroke his skull and hum a tuneless lullaby he slowly began to relax. Letting out a huff he looked up at Papyrus with an odd expression. “…s’this heaven? Did I die in my sleep after all?” For a moment Papyrus froze in confusion. Sans was slurring his words and had mumbled almost too low to hear. But once he realized what Sans had said he felt a righteous anger fill him.

“You shouldn’t say things like that. That would mean that I, the Great Papyrus, is also dead. Which simply cannot be!” Speaking with conviction, confidence, and authority, though he currently had none of those things, he tried to reassure the other skeleton. Hoping his playful exuberance would make the other skeleton laugh he was sad to see him instead pulling his arms up as if waiting to defend himself from an attack. Flashes of memory crossed his mind and Papyrus frowned sadly. The things he had seen and Sans reaction… “This may be hard to answer but… d-did your brother really do all those things to you?” The soft concern in his voice made Sans lower his arms and look at him in surprise.

Sans looked away and mulled over the question for a moment before his eyes flicked back up to Papyrus’ face. Just as quickly he looked away again, his expression screaming that he didn’t want to talk about it. “Y-yeah. I get why though. I’m a useless, lazy, pathetic, fucking coward after all.” Papyrus was speechless as the smaller skeleton gave a rusty sounding chuckle. “I just hold him back. With me around he’ll never… it would be better if I wasn’t around.” Tears came to his eyes and he began to shake, trying to hold back a sob.

Even without the magical connection Papyrus could see the emotions Sans was trying to hold back. **With** the connection it was almost like he was screaming them at the top of his lungs. Frustration, anger, a sense of worthlessness, sadness, guilt, and self loathing. Not one of them eased the tight knot he could feel in his soul. Sans was, for all intents and purposes, his brother. To see him this way hurt him deeply.

“That’s not true.” His voice was steady and calm, with a fierce edge to it that few had ever heard from the taller skeleton brother. His fists clenched at his side. “Your brother should be glad to have someone who cares about him. Who works hard every day, even through the stress of nightmares and being a one hp monster.” Staring intently down at Sans a soft smile crossed his face. Radiating hope, kindness, and love he embraced the shrinking skeleton. Hoping that it would help chase away the bad feelings.

“H-how can you be so n-n-nice to me?” Papyrus smiled a big happy smile. “Because you are my brother! More or less.” And gosh wasn’t that still a little confusing. “Anyway, if you are feeling a little better then I think it’s time for me to make us something to eat.” Sans gave him a watery half smile. “You rest here, I will just be over there in the kitchen. If you need anything just call out to me and I will be by your side in an instant.” Sans nodded and Papyrus eased himself out from under the other skeleton. Grabbing a pillow he slipped it under Sans’ head before setting him down again. After tucking a blanket around his small frame he headed into the kitchen.

Once he was out of sight he collapsed against the wall, clutching at his chest over his soul. The pain he felt from Sans’ soul was almost enough to shatter his own. He was so deprived of love and affection that his depression was like a cavernous hole, ready to swallow him up. Papyrus couldn’t help but wonder how he had the strength to talk, let alone to fight. More memories passed behind his eyes and he flinched. His poor head ached from the pressure.

“I’m going to make him happy. He may not be my brother but he is still Sans, he deserves better.” With that goal in mind he set about gathering everything he would need for dinner. Whistling merrily as he did so.

(Red)

Staring blankly up at the dull ceiling he lay there in disbelief. From the phalanges of his feet all the way up to his skull he felt as if he was brimming with warmth. When he’d first shown up it had felt like someone shining a bright light in his eyes after he’d been in absolute darkness for a week. Except that feeling was directly in his soul. It had been blinding and painful, making him panic. But after Papyrus had stabilized his magic he realized the light wasn’t as bright as he thought, and the warmth wasn’t trying to strangle him after all. It had just been trying to strengthen his weakened soul and keep him from becoming dust.

Externally he looked as if he were just resting after a hard day. But internally he was reeling from shock. Even after he’d calmed down he still couldn’t wrap his head around what had just happened to him. Alternate dimensions had never really crossed his mind before, even though he knew that time itself wasn’t permanent and could be reset at any time. Did that mean this was just a really, really, nice dream? Or maybe he’d finally turned to dust in his sleep and this was monster heaven. But if that was true then why did it still seem like they were trapped underground? You’d think that heaven would be nicer than this.

If it was a dream it was the most realistic one yet. The blanket was soft against his bones and the pillow plush beneath his skull. From the couch he could hear Papyrus moving about the kitchen, whistling and humming to himself as he made dinner. The sound made him want to cry and scream at the same time. He wanted to ask the universe why. Why was this place so different? Why was this Papyrus so kind and comforting? Without thinking he began chewing on his pointer finger, a nervous habit that his brother had tried to train out of him to no avail.

The memories he had of this world’s Sans were of a snarky layabout. A loner who rarely helped out around the house and kept his brother at a distance. So why? Where were the moments he was berated, grabbed, struck, choked, and tossed to the ground like the piece of trash he was? Papyrus gave him all his affection freely, praised him, comforted him when he’d had a nightmare, was willing and ready to share all of his burdens, even! It wasn’t fair. _‘I work my ass off all the time and what do I get to show for it? I-it’s not my fault that I fall asleep at my post. I just get so tired…’_

Falling deeper and deeper into his own thoughts he didn’t notice Papyrus coming into the living room until his shadow loomed over the couch. The taller skeleton cleared his throat loudly and Sans jumped, eyes glowing red defensively. Papyrus blinked down at him in confusion, looking concerned. _‘Right… h-he isn’t…’_

“I have finished the spaghetti. I thought you might like to eat it out here, where we can watch tv together. What do you say?” With a strained smile he helped Sans fold the blanket and shift the pillows around before sitting next to him. Setting the plate down in his lap Papyrus motioned for him to eat before turning on the tv. They sat in relative silence, Sans watching Papyrus warily. Once Papyrus had taken a couple bites of the spaghetti Sans finally took a bite of his own. “…” It was awful. Too salty, too spicy, and the noodles were under cooked. Yet as he sat there next to Papyrus he shoveled forkful after forkful into his mouth. Out of nowhere tears started to stream down his face, obscuring his vision.

“Sans? Sans, are you okay?” Letting out a weak laugh he looked up at the other skeleton and nodded. “I’ve just… n-never tasted anything so delicious before. Th-that’s all.” If Papyrus could see through the lie he gave no indication of it. Rather than make a fuss he just gave Sans a pleased smile. “Excellent! I am glad your first meal here is up to standard.” It really wasn’t… but this was the first time in a long time he could remember enjoying a meal with someone.

So why did his heart ache with longing and regret?

(Purple)

Glaring down at the prisoner in his personal dungeon he scoffed. He had wondered how long it would take the impostor to pass out from exhaustion. It hadn’t taken long, not long at all. Which in itself was worrying. With his appearance and the brittle frailty of his bones he was the spitting image of Sans. But the aura was all wrong. Self assured, powerful, carefully contained, and unafraid. The complete opposite of his brother. He’d even tried to intimidate him, Him! The Grand Master Papyrus. The sheer audacity of it left him reeling in confusion, which he hid beneath a sneer of contempt.

Clenching his hand over his soul he took a deep breath and forcefully stopped his trembling. The more he thought about the impostor the more his insecurities and worries bubbled up. Gritting his teeth he shoved those feelings into the deepest pit in the back of his mind. He couldn’t afford to be seen as weak, not now. Not ever. Whatever happened to Sans he would get to the bottom of it. But first…

Lifting the bucket of ice water from the river he walked over to the sleeping prisoner and took careful aim. With a practiced motion he threw the water over the hoodie wearing skeleton, completely drenching him from head to toe. A yelp came from him as he jolted awake, before his face contorted and he hissed in pain. Papyrus couldn’t help the smug look that crossed his face. Impostor or no, he had always loved that look on Sans’ face.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Glaring up at him in a look of confusion and fury he shivered as the cold air of the underground dungeon caressed his exposed bones. Rather than try to stand up to him the other skeleton huddled in on himself, shaking from weakness. It was obvious he was trying to keep warm and conserve energy. In fact, his soul looked rather small and dull, the energy surrounding him felt faded and unsteady.

“Well, it’s good to see you have some sense of self preservation.” Tossing the bucket aside he stalked closer and grabbed the impostor’s chin roughly with his offhand. Letting out a hiss he struggled for a moment before he felt Papyrus’ hand reach up beneath his ribs and grab hold of his soul. He stiffened, terrified of what his captor might do to him. After all the soul was the very essence of a monster. If it was damaged there was little anyone could do to fix it. Enough damage and the soul would shatter, leaving behind only a pile of dust where once there had been a monster.

In his clawed hand the blue heart shaped soul shuddered and flickered. For some reason he was bleeding off too much energy and was unable to replenish it. At the rate it was burning his prisoner would be bereft of energy in half a day. Without any energy to sustain it the soul would shrivel up and the impostor would die. Leaving Papyrus with no clues to the whereabouts of his brother.

Not one to sugarcoat anything he glared at the skeleton accusingly. “You’re dying.” The blue flame of his eye flickered and Papyrus could see the fear behind the bravado. “I’m sure you want to keep your meager existence, if only to crawl your way back to wherever it is you came from.” That comment earned him a searing glare but the impostor didn’t kick up a fuss. He wanted to live and knew that Papyrus was his only chance at survival. “Don’t fight me.” It was not a request.

Expertly he pulled his energy inward and began channeling it into his gloved hand. A dark purple aura surrounded him like a shroud of shadows, leaving only his glowing eyes visible. Slowly he pushed his energy into the soul in his palm. He knew how volatile such techniques were and kept a tight rein on both of their energies. One mistake could mean the death of one or both of them. Papyrus wasn’t particularly interested in dying any time soon.

Memories flooded into his mind and he grimaced. At first it was all too familiar. Then the glaring differences began to register and he nearly jerked away from Sans in surprise. Before his fingers could even twitch he forced himself to keep calm and in control. Even as the foreign emotions attempted to overwhelm him. The more he saw the more he was convinced that this was no impostor. It was Sans, but from a timeline, or maybe a world, very different to his own.

_‘So he is Sans. Just not mine… at least not yet.’_

(Blue)

The moment that purple energy pressed up against his soul Sans gasped. Everything he felt, everything he knew, every memory, and every secret; all of it was forcefully exposed. Letting out a low moan of horror he wanted to struggle, to pull away from his captor. Instead he stay as still as he possibly could, even as everything was drained from him and something else was pushed into its place. Physically he was fine, better than fine. He could feel his strength beginning to return and it no longer felt like he was suffocating in the frigid air. However, his morale and emotional stability was another matter entirely.

His eyes became pinpricks of light as Papyrus’ memories began to fill the void left behind, burning the images into his mind. Tears started to stream down his face at the wanton cruelty the taller skeleton had inflicted on others. Even his brother wasn’t safe from the violence. The cold calculated schemes he came up with were designed to do as much damage to someone as possible. Physically, emotionally, and to their reputation. It made him sick to his core to imagine Papyrus as anything other than the bright, passionate, and helpful monster he was. But there was one thing that set a deep chill in his bones, and it wasn’t the water pooling in uncomfortable places before dripping onto the stone floor.

Papyrus gasped as the spell fell away and his presence left Sans’ mind. “Paps, eh? What a weak willed and pathetic creature.” He sneered. “I am glad to inform you that we are nothing alike.” Sans felt, more than heard, the dark chuckle as it reverberated off the walls. Just the words themselves made him bristle with anger. Ripping his head away from Papyrus’ grip he bit down on his gloved hand, eyes shining in fury. Papyrus stared at him with those merciless eyes, barely reacting to him other than a small knowing smirk.

The look made him shudder, a tingle of nervousness running down the length of his spine. If this was what Papyrus could become he was glad his brother was a bit of an airhead sometimes.

“Hmm, now here’s something good.” A sudden flare in his chest made his body spasm. He choked before biting down on Papyrus’ gloves, the only thing he could really do at the moment. Whatever his captor was doing to his soul, it hurt. The feeling was like tendrils slithering over his body, binding him tighter than the rope around his wrists. Whatever magic this was, it was evil.

“Let’s see you try to disobey me now.” Papyrus gave him a smug look of triumph as he let go of his soul. Sans felt disgusting, like something twisted and slimy had twined itself around his bones. Sans didn’t respond, not that he could with Papyrus gloved hand between his teeth. Papyrus huffed at him and shook his head in bemusement. “Did you think biting down like that would affect me? Sans’ teeth are far more sharp than yours, and these gloves are designed to deflect enemy attacks. As if you, with your feeble strength, could penetrate them.”

Realizing he was right Sans reluctantly opened his mouth and let Papyrus have his hand back. It wasn’t like there was anything he could logically do from his position.

Papyrus inspected his glove with a look of indifference before turning his attention back to Sans. “Feisty, aren’t you? But then you would have to be, wouldn’t you? Unable to rely on your nimrod of a brother or the simpletons in town. Always having to outsmart your opponents with higher intellect and greater skill.” There was a gleam in his eyes that Sans did not like. Not one bit. “I initially misjudged your intelligence, but I was right about your brash nature.”

As the last vestiges of the spell began to fade Sans felt exhaustion weighing him down. The strain on his magic felt terrible, but not as terrible as before. At least he knew he wasn’t dying anymore. That was something.

He looked up at Papyrus. He tried not to show it but he was clearly just as exhausted as Sans. He knew the inner workings of the spell. Both of them would need time to rest and recuperate. The mental strain alone made Sans want to sleep for a week solid. He wasn’t sure what it had done to Papyrus. Both his brother and his brother’s evil twin were made of sterner stuff than he was.

Standing Papyrus turned on his heel and walked confidently to the stairs, making as if to leave. Glaring at his back Sans waited. There was a sense of anticipation in the air between them, an after effect of the spell. Echoes of emotion still shared between them as the connection slowly faded. Papyrus wasn’t done with him yet, he just had a flare for the dramatic.

“I must say,” he turned around, arms clasped behind him and back straight, “I quite like the way you look, brother.” His eyes seemed to glow with an unearthly hunger in the low light. “Retraining you will be… entertaining.” A manic gleam of excitement entered his eyes as he began to chuckle. After saying his piece he climbed the stairs and disappeared. The sound of heavy locks slamming into place echoed off the walls, making Sans wince.

Left on his own the memories he had been trying to hold back and ignore started to press against him, demanding he look at them. Acknowledge them. Defeated he closed his eyes with a sigh. Falling into the torrent of thoughts and feelings he was swept up and forced to live through each horrible scene, as if he had actually been there. Accompanying thoughts and even emotions flowed through him and he felt like he was going to retch. At first he thought that the impostor was another monster pretending to be Papyrus, but the memories were too detailed. Too real. He was, for all intents and purposes, Papyrus. Just not his brother. He’d thought about the alternate universe theory before, after all there were so many branching time lines it wouldn’t be that far fetched to think some of them would be wildly different.

At least now his energy was stable. He’d be able to use his teleportation to get out of there and find a way home. But first he needed to get rid of the damn rope. Concentrating he called on his most powerful weapon. So far so good, he felt perfectly fine. But as it came into being pain shot through him like lightning. His entire body spasmed sporadically and he let out a startled scream of agony. Once it was over he took great heaving breaths, his ribs expanding and contracting.

_‘That’s ever happened before. Was the spell unsuccessful somehow?’_ Sweat dripped off his brow. A thought occurred to him and he looked down at his own soul. Shoved into the center of the blue heart that represented his soul was a dark purple thorn of glowing energy. His sockets widened in abject horror. Magic that took control over another monster’s soul like that had been banned for… Then it hit him. This wasn’t his dimension. The Asgore of this world didn’t care about his subjects. He wouldn’t have outlawed that kind of magic, especially if it was useful to him.

There was one thought going through his mind, and it sat there like a heavy stone. _‘I am so royally screwed.’_


End file.
